Felling Trees

Romain had previously cleared ten mu of vegetable fields north of the manor.

This was perfectly normal. Nobles usually set aside a plot of land beside their castle manor to farm themselves, mainly to feed the people living on the estate.

Another hundred-odd meters north brought him to the edge of the forest.

He looked it over and found that this mixed forest consisted mainly of pine trees, with elm trees, ash trees, and other varieties mixed in. They were all tall, sturdy trees, soaring high overhead.

And the forest contained more than just trees. Shrubs and weeds were even more abundant, so dense that they had spread out beyond the woods, making it difficult for people to pass through.

Romain held an axe and hacked away in every direction.

He first spent half an hour clearing away the dead shrubs and weeds at the forest's edge.

It was worth mentioning that clearing the brush could also trigger a Gathering Experience +1 notification.

Gevra also helped pile up all the shrubs and weeds Romain had cut down.

The area, which had once seemed choked with vegetation, immediately became much more open.

Pine trees had needle-like leaves, and after accumulating year after year, a thick layer of fallen needles covered the ground.

Romain took a look. The dry pine needles on the ground were mostly half-rotted, crumbling to pieces with a squeeze of his hand.

He then advanced more than ten meters into the forest, pushed aside the pine needles, and inspected the soil beneath. He found that it was all well-decomposed pine needle compost.

The pine needles had decayed into natural nutrient-rich soil, piled to a thickness of roughly ten centimeters.

This stuff could itself be used as fertilizer. For farming, it certainly would not be enough—it was a drop in the bucket, and difficult to collect.

But for the ten mu of vegetable fields he had just cleared, it was more than sufficient. It was also close by, so there was no need to worry about transportation.

All he needed to do was spread a layer over the vegetable fields to effectively increase the yield of his crops.

This discovery made Romain very happy. With this naturally decomposed soil, he would not need to haul fertilizer all the way from Sigg Town.

Romain returned to the forest's edge and chose his first target—a red pine roughly fifteen meters tall and seventy to eighty centimeters in diameter.

He looked up at it for a while, tightened his grip on the axe, found a suitable spot, and lightly scraped away the bark with the axe blade, exposing a broad patch of pale wood.

Then Romain raised the axe and chopped downward at an angle. It did not take much effort; with the axe's weight and speed, it bit four to five centimeters into the trunk.

He waggled the handle and pulled the axe free.

Felling trees required skill. He planned to chop all afternoon, and brute strength alone would not last him long. He had to conserve energy wherever he could.

Romain made four or five angled chops, then began chopping horizontally. He quickly cut out a notch, then continued striking at an angle to widen it.

He did not put much force into each swing, but he was persistent. The powerful sound of chopping wood rang out continuously.

After ten minutes, Romain had cut a standard V-shaped notch thirty centimeters deep.

Then he cut another notch on the back side of the red pine, trapping it between two opposing cuts.

But that still was not enough. Romain made another notch on its side.

He swung his axe, bent at the waist, and chopped at the red pine dozens more times.

Throughout the process, wood chips kept flying, while larger chunks of wood could shoot two or three meters away.

Feeling that it was about right, Romain turned and said, "Gevra, get farther away."

Gevra had been so absorbed in watching Romain fell the tree that she felt his movements, though simple, were strangely captivating.

At his words, she immediately turned and ran far away.

Romain tightened his grip on the axe and began chopping heavily. After around four or five strikes, it happened.

Crack!

At last, the red pine fell.

It swayed as it toppled toward Romain.

That left him speechless. He felt telling Gevra to move away had been unnecessary; the tree would never have hit that lucky girl anyway.

Romain had deliberately cut the notch on his side higher. It should have fallen toward the lower notch, yet it had still gone the other way.

If it had been a malnourished, slow-witted farmer, he might have been startled by the sudden turn of events and come to harm.

But Romain simply took one step and dodged aside.

Boom!

The red pine crashed to the ground, and Romain could not help feeling a little pleased with himself.

"Heh heh."

Romain checked the game notification again and found that the red pine had given him two points of Gathering Experience.

It had taken him about an hour. That was fairly efficient.

Romain did not rush to cut down a second tree. Instead, he stripped the fallen red pine of its branches, turning it into a round log.

Romain and Gevra gathered up the pine branches and tossed them together with the pile of dead shrubs.

At that moment, Aaron came looking for him.

He asked, "Romain, how should I train the guards tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Lord Romain pondered for a moment, then gestured as he spoke. "Your position is instructor. Start by teaching them the basics: standing at attention, forming ranks, turning, counting off, marching in step. What I need is an army that obeys orders without question, not a loose militia like the guards..."

Aaron nodded. "All right."

Lord Romain continued, "I've improved their treatment. There will be no shortage of grain or meat. So be as strict with them as you like. Once spring has passed, I'll transfer a considerable number of farmers over to join you. Your task is very important. If necessary, have Green assist you."

Aaron understood what Lord Romain meant. This current group of guards would become the backbone of Sigg Town's future army—in other words, its reserve officers.

He soon left. He was no stranger to the basic training Lord Romain had described. When they were young, Lord Romain had told both him and Green that he would one day forge an invincible army.

But the Grand Duke's territory had offered him no room to realize that ambition.

Lord Romain turned back to chopping trees. He knew Aaron would not disappoint him.

"Lord Romain, this is for you." Gevra said, raising her hand high.

Lord Romain glanced over and saw that they were hazelnuts. They had probably fallen last year, yet were still in excellent condition, untouched by dampness, mold, or insects. Who knew what nook Gevra had dug them out of—had this unlucky child stumbled upon some squirrel's winter stash?

"Let me try one."

Lord Romain cracked a shell open with his axe and tossed the nut into his mouth. It tasted excellent—crisp, fragrant, and delicious.

After eating several in a row, Lord Romain asked Gevra, "Do you want some?"

Gevra tugged at the hem of her clothes, lowered her head, and said softly, "I used to eat a lot of them."

Lord Romain gave an acknowledging hum and did not press further. The mountains had abundant resources, but he guessed Gevra's daily food mainly came from easily gathered wild fruits, mushrooms, nuts, and the like.

She had probably brought these specifically for him to eat, so Lord Romain did not stand on ceremony and finished them all in one go.

Gevra broke into a delighted smile.